MP3: The Very – “Shattered Up Mirror”
Philip Inzunza and Alex “Lex” Pratt were tired of ’90s grunge ripoff bands, so they set out to stand out from the crowd.
Upon its formation in 2009, the Very instituted an anti-power chord policy. Two years later, the band released its debut, Discovery, and it’s a clever concoction of agile guitar work, catchy keyboards, and arthouse harmonies. Combine this with influences that range from New Order to the Pixies, and it’s easy to see why the Very has become a household name among San Diego indie aficionados.
The Very will play the Sonic-Con indie music showcase this Saturday, June 2 at Porter’s Pub. In anticipation of the show, we asked the band’s members to tell us about their influences. They happily obliged, and you can check out the Very’s Poetic Memory below.
The Very will play the Sonic-Con indie music showcase next Saturday, June 2 at North Park Community Park. Sonic-Con is a music expo held in support of independent record stores and to promote the hobby of music collecting. In addition to a lineup of bands that includes the New Limb, the New Kinetics, Bullet & Snowfox, the Colourist, Kelsea Little and the 78s, This Time with Feeling, and Tan Sister Radio, Sonic-Con will also feature a record sale, beer garden, and gourmet food trucks. Tickets may be purchased here for $11.50, or at the door for $15. Proceeds will benefit the National Association of Music Merchants, proprietors of the Museum of Making Music in Carlsbad, California. We’re also giving away two tickets to Sonic-Con; visit our Facebook page to enter.
Poetic Memory: The Very
Phil: My musical influences: Morrissey, Weezer, The Strokes, Air. I also listened to a lot of Smashing Pumpkins growing up, as well as Depeche Mode and New Order.
Since the band formed in 2009, we’ve had many good times. A night that stands out was a show we played for a music festival at the Lafayette hotel. We had a great after-party with friends and all the bands in complimentary suites. But that was surpassed by the video shoot for our song “A-Okay” at the Hotel St. James downtown with Christian Motos. We channeled the movie The Shining in creepy small hotel hallways. Another big highlight was attending the San Diego Music Awards last year when our record, The Discovery, was nominated for best pop album. We look forward to recording our second album in the next few months.
Lex: One of my unique influences is a local band from Portland, Maine called Cambiata. The lead singer is one of the craziest, most amazing performer I’ve seen live. His energy, passion, and I-don’t-give-a-fuck-what-you-think attitude continues to inspire me and give me confidence on stage. More famous influences include: David Bowie, MGMT, Radiohead, Ben Gibbard, Kurt Cobain, the Beatles, and the Beastie Boys.
One funny memory with the band is from when I used to be the drummer. At our first show at the Casbah, my drum stool broke at the start of a song. But like a champ, I continued to play from the floor. Another great night is when we signed with the label Aural Gravy and celebrated with a fancy fondue dinner downtown.
Diana: My greatest influences are Duran Duran, New Order, and Human League.
The best memory of The Very is when all three of us walked the runway for Chemist Couture at our CD release party/fashion show gig. 🙂 Also, drinking beers and eating pizza under the full moon in the hot tub at Phil’s mom’s house when we finished recording the first album.